Reflections on the Challenge
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Experiences
Following a doctor's appointment, which focused on the importance of weight loss to reduce blood pressure, N had decided to change his diet, replacing morning croissants with apples and integrating more fruit, and having a light meal in the evening. This had led to noticeable weight loss and improved well-being. He had also switched to decaf coffee and tea. He was feeling optimistic about the positive impact from these changes.
L had often felt tired after breakfast, suspecting it was due to carbohydrates. He reduced cereal intake. Additionally, he usually took multivitamins and vitamin C but questioned their long-term benefits. He had become more aware of coffee consumption, noting that drinking it too early could interfere with the body's natural cortisol development. He decided to wait an hour after waking before having coffee and had shifted his caffeine intake to mid to late morning to avoid disturbing his sleep. These changes had possibly been beneficial.
J noted that the question was in two parts: how good it was for you, and how it made you feel. He had done some research into it, and quite liked falafel. Apparently it had a lot of protein with it, and potassium, with quite a bit of iron. On the downside there were saturated fats. He thought it was not short term; it was long term. You didn't feel very differently, but the long term effects, he thought, were probably beneficial. So it was more about a lifestyle than a particular meal.
T had taken a tangy vitamin tablet daily to ensure sufficient vitamin C intake but had concerns about unwanted ingredients and extracted chemicals. Her trust in pharmaceuticals was low, and she felt uneasy about taking the tablet every morning. She decided to stop, worrying about vitamin C deficiency. This fear affected her emotions and drained her adrenaline. She learned that foods like stone fruits, blackberries, coconut, prunes, bok choy, green bell peppers, sweet corn, eggplant, and turnips naturally contain sorbitol, an ingredient in the tablet. Despite understanding the natural sources, she had found it hard to integrate the challenge.
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Responses
Responding to N, T recommended a podcast featuring Dr. Philip Avandia, a heart surgeon emphasizing metabolic health and the impact of processed foods on obesity and heart disease.
Beelzebub’s Tales, Chapter 31
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Passage
In the hotel where we had the place of our existence, next to my room, or as is said there in the ‘number’ next to mine, there existed a very sympathetic pair of beings who had only recently completed the sacrament of the Union of the Active with the Passive for the purpose of serving the Great All-Universal Trogoautoegocratic process for the prolongation of their generation, or, as they themselves would say, had ‘been married,’ and they were still considered ‘newlywed.’
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Discussion
N thought this way of putting it suggested that beings on Earth were created for bigger purposes than might be apparent.
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Passage
I instantly ran to them and it turned out there, that ‘himself' was not at home, for on that very day he had had to go off somewhere; and during this time she had felt faint and, almost without consciousness, had instinctively rapped on my wall.
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Discussion
T thought this couild be a metaphor for the Work. L added there was also the connotation of something new.
